The announcement, made through a Presidential Decree on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, marks a significant development for South Sudan’s health sector, which has been without a permanent minister since the dismissal of Yolanda Awel Deng in February 2025.
Sarah Cleto Rial, a prominent figure in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) and former governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal State, steps into the role at a time when South Sudan faces pressing health crises, including a resurgence of cholera outbreaks and a strained healthcare system.
The decision for her nomination follows repeated calls from the South Sudan Doctors’ Union and civil society activists for the government to address the leadership vacuum in the Ministry of Health.
The ministry has been under interim management for three months, a period marked by growing concerns over the country’s ability to tackle public health challenges effectively.
Her appointment comes at a time the SPLM-IO faces internal division amid a political purge of Machar’s allies.
Though controversial, Cleto’s appointment is seen as a strategic move by President Kiir to stabilise the health sector while navigating the delicate balance of South Sudan’s power-sharing government.
As a member of a breakaway faction of the SPLM-IO, Cleto brings both political experience and a background in governance to her new role.
Her tenure as governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal demonstrated her ability as the only woman to manage complex administrative challenges, which supporters hope will translate into effective leadership in the health ministry.
On X, formerly Twitter, reactions to the appointment have been largely positive among some community members, particularly those in the South Sudanese diaspora.
However, the appointment has not been without criticism. Some SPLM-IO members have voiced concerns, alleging that Cleto was not their recommended candidate for the position.
Pal Mai Deng, spokesperson of the SPLM-IO under Dr. Riek Machar, stated, “We have received information about the appointment of Sarah Cleto as minister of health, but it is the same thing—the president has chosen violence over the implementation of the peace agreement.”
This sentiment underscores ongoing tensions within the power-sharing framework established by the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan.
The appointment of Cleto is also a message to Machar’s loyalists that the Juba regime has recognised the SPLM-IO interim leadership structure under Stephen Par Kuol, who also serves as the Minister of Peace Building.
